MercurySteam, the Spanish studio behind Metroid Dread, appears to have confirmed it is developing Metroid Ravenous, the surprise showcase of yesterday’s Nintendo Direct. The studio’s name was absent from the trailer and press materials, but a quiet retweet with a ninja emoji and a heart emoji has ended most speculation.
The confirmation is not explicit. MercurySteam shared the Metroid Ravenous trailer on its social accounts with those two emoji. The same trailer was shared on LinkedIn by the company moments ago as well. For a studio that had gone silent after the Direct, that counts as a statement. It is not a press release, and it is not a formal announcement, but it is the closest thing to one that anyone has seen so far.
The Missing Name
Questions started as soon as the Direct ended. Metroid Ravenous looked unmistakably like MercurySteam’s work, with obvious visual similarities to Metroid Dread. But the trailer carried no MercurySteam logo, and no press materials mentioned the studio. For a game that so clearly resembled the studio’s previous work, the absence was conspicuous.
MercurySteam’s social accounts stayed quiet through the evening. I reached out to Nintendo and to MercurySteam this morning for clarification, and heard nothing back. That silence is not unusual for Nintendo, which often withholds developer names until close to a game’s release. Still, the lack of any mention of the studio anywhere in the announcement left fans guessing.
The retweet changed the picture. A ninja emoji suggests stealth development. A heart emoji suggests fondness for the project. Together, they read as a wink rather than an accident. A studio that had nothing to do with the game would have no reason to share its trailer at all, let alone with those particular emoji, and let alone across multiple platforms including LinkedIn.
What Metroid Ravenous Looks Like
Metroid Ravenous follows the Metroid Dread template closely. It is a side-on Metroid adventure, but it plays with perspective a great deal. The trailer showed energetic gameplay that lit up Nintendo’s Direct yesterday afternoon.
The game appears more colourful and less oppressive than Dread. Its montage of movement and combat felt faster, brighter, and more playful. The world around Samus seems less grim. Where Dread leaned into atmosphere and tension, Ravenous’s trailer leaned into speed and colour.
The release date is set. Metroid Ravenous comes out exclusively for Switch 2 on 28th January 2027.
The Dread Connection
Metroid Dread was 2021’s comeback for 2D Metroid. Eurogamer’s review gave it a golden Essential badge, with Martin Robinson calling it “a stylish, visually sumptuous return for 2D Metroid, and an adventure that proudly sits alongside the series’ best”.
That review mattered. Dread was a strong return for the series, and it came from MercurySteam. The obvious visual similarities between Dread and Ravenous are the main reason speculation about the developer began in the first place.
Ravenous appears to build on that foundation. The trailer suggests a studio comfortable with the formula, confident enough to twist it. The perspective shifts and the brighter palette are not small changes. They suggest a team that knows the template well enough to bend it.
A Hard Year for MercurySteam
MercurySteam has had a difficult stretch. The studio, known for the Castlevania Lords of Shadow games, worked on an original game idea called Blades of Fire. That game reviewed pretty well, but ultimately “underperformed”.
That underperformance put financial pressure on the company. It forced restructuring and layoffs a couple of months ago. For a studio of MercurySteam’s pedigree, that was a hard blow, and it made the studio’s post-Direct silence feel all the more pointed.
The retweet suggests the studio is back in action. It is good to see the studio working again. A new project of this profile, after the restructuring and layoffs, is welcome news.
What We Still Do Not Know
The retweet is not a formal announcement. MercurySteam has not issued a statement. Nintendo has not confirmed the developer in writing. The studio’s name still does not appear in the trailer or press materials.
- The exact scope of MercurySteam’s role on Ravenous is unconfirmed.
- Whether the studio is lead developer or co-developer is unclear.
- The size of the team working on the game is not known.
- Whether Dread’s key staff returned for Ravenous is unverified.
Those are real gaps. But the evidence points one way. A studio does not retweet a trailer with a ninja emoji unless it wants to be associated with the project. The LinkedIn share reinforces the point: a company does not put a game on its professional page by accident.
The Switch 2 Question
Metroid Ravenous is a Switch 2 exclusive. That is a notable detail. The game is not coming to the original Switch.
The 28th January 2027 release date is still a long way off. That gives MercurySteam time to polish the game, and it gives Nintendo time to build the Switch 2’s catalogue around it. An exclusive of this profile is exactly the sort of game a new console’s library is built on.
The Studio’s History
MercurySteam was founded in Spain and built its reputation on the Castlevania Lords of Shadow series. It followed that with Metroid Dread, a game that earned Eurogamer’s golden Essential badge. That history is why Ravenous matters. The studio’s track record speaks for itself. The retweet, however playful, signals a working relationship that survived Blades of Fire’s struggles.
What Comes Next
The next few months will bring more details. Nintendo typically withholds developer names until close to a game’s release, so a formal confirmation may take a while. Until then, the ninja and heart emoji are the closest thing to an official word.
For now, the picture is clear enough. MercurySteam appears to be making Metroid Ravenous. The studio’s own social media says as much, in the language of emoji and retweets. That is not a press release, but it is a confirmation of sorts.
The game itself looks promising. A brighter, faster, more playful Metroid from the Dread team, exclusive to Switch 2, is an easy thing to get excited about. The release date is far off, but the trailer gave fans something to hold onto.
MercurySteam has been through a hard year. Layoffs and restructuring would test any studio. Coming out the other side with a new Metroid game is a strong answer to that pressure.
The ninja emoji says it best. The studio is back, working in the shadows, and it wants you to know.
Source: eurogamer.net
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